Washington.- Arrests for illegal border crossings at the U.S. southern border rose slightly in August, officials said Monday, ending a five-month streak of declines.
The Border Patrol made 58,038 arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border in August, near the lowest level in nearly four years but up 2.9 percent from 56,399 in July, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The total is in line with preliminary estimates.
Acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller said restrictions put in place since June to suspend asylum grants once the number of illegal arrivals exceeds a certain threshold demonstrate that the government “will follow through with strict consequences for illegal arrivals.”
A decline from a record high of 250,000 apprehensions last December — thanks in part to increased immigration enforcement by Mexican authorities at home — is welcome news for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as they try to fend off accusations from Republicans that they allowed the situation at the border to spiral out of control.
“The Biden-Harris administration has taken effective action, and Republican officials continue to do nothing,” said Angelo Fernández Hernández, a White House spokesman.
Many Republicans have criticized Biden for implementing new and expanded pathways to legally enter the country, which they say are a “facade” to reduce the number of illegal border crossings.
Some 44,700 people legally entered the country from Mexico during August through appointments made via the CBP One app, for a total of 813,000 since the app was implemented in January 2023. Additionally, nearly 530,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela have entered the United States legally by entering by air, submitting an application online, and having a financial sponsor.
San Diego was once again the busiest corridor for illegal crossings, closely followed by El Paso, Texas, and Tucson, Arizona.
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